State officials to address safety concerns at lake
A public forum is scheduled for Sept. 8 to discuss the issue.
By Jay Conley 981-3114 The Roanoke Times

MONETA - The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, along with three lake-area organizations, wants to meet next week with residents to discuss boat safety concerns at Smith Mountain Lake.

News of the public forum, scheduled for Sept. 8, 6 p.m. at Trinity Ecumenical Parish, comes a little more than Advertisement

a week after Lawrence and Judith Lewis of Moneta were killed Aug. 20 in a nighttime boating collision. Mark de Tournillon, 45, who lives at the lake and owns Shoreline Marina in Moneta, is accused of driving his high-powered speedboat into the back and on top of the Lewises' cabin cruiser. He has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Lt. Karl Martin with the game department and Ralph Brush with the Smith Mountain Lake Water Safety Council announced next week's public forum at a news conference Tuesday. Representatives from Smith Mountain Lake Association and Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire & Rescue Co. also were on hand to lend their support to the community dialogue on lake safety.

The game department has said that de Tournillon's boat was traveling at more than 60 mph at the time of the collision.

The tragedy has sparked a number of lake residents to call for speed limits on the lake and a ban on certain types of speedboats. "Right now, they are very angry and they want action," Brush said.

He noted, however, that the discussion needs to focus not just on what measures can make the lake safer, but also on how they can be implemented.

Gerald Massengill, the game department's acting director, said the department has been collecting information from accident reports and daily lake patrols to demonstrate to legislators during next year's General Assembly session that there is a need for a stronger game warden presence on the lake.

Martin said whether or not new regulations are created, the game department needs to determine if it can properly "enforce the ones that are currently there."

In the meantime, Brush said, it's important for lake residents to be included in the discussion.

"We're reaching out to all the lake organizations and asking the media and lake residents to help us ... in seeking out the best solutions for future boating safety in the years ahead and to suggest how we can obtain the resources to accomplish these solutions," Brush said.

Bruce Dungan, president of SMLA, said the association is forming a committee, composed of lake-area residents, to study safety issues at the lake.

"This panel of men and women from all sectors of our lake community will have the necessary knowledge, expertise and name recognition it will take to be successful," Dungan said.

The members of the panel may be announced at next week's open meeting, he said.

Most of the officials present Tuesday were careful about throwing their support behind new boating legislation.

"That's certainly something that this blue-ribbon committee would take a long, hard look at," Dungan said.

we can probably call the SMLBA and talk with Bob Black he might know or we can talk with lt. martin he was at the meeting
i like the qoute "they have the name recognition it will take to be successfull"

we can probably call the SMLBA and talk with Bob Black he might know or we can talk with lt. martin he was at the meeting
i like the qoute "they have the name recognition it will take to be successfull"

Should we take up donations for the Marine Volunteer Rescue on Saturday? You could present them a check at the meeting Thursday?

Good question. Not sure if Thursday's meeting would be the place but it's open for discussion? Raising money for the rescue is a perfect idea... I for one however, think we should get the feel of the committee first and plan a stratigic offense. We might need to hold our cards for another time.